Lui: It's never too late to love Mandarin
my paper
Tue, Jul 05, 2011
By Joy Fang
THE struggle that comes with learning Mandarin is something Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew understands all too well.
The former Anglo-Chinese School and Anglo-Chinese Junior College student admitted that his relationship with the language has not been easy.
Though he studied Chinese in school, he was never adept at it. He has also been taking Chinese lessons once a week for more than the past two years, and "it is still a weekly struggle", he said.
Mr Lui was speaking yesterday at the launch of the 32nd Speak Mandarin Campaign at the Asian Civilisation Museum.
He told my paper that he regrets not speaking Mandarin actively with his two daughters earlier in their lives. "If I were to start all over again, I would probably use more Mandarin at home," he said.
Still, Mr Lui, who is also the Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, tries to set a good example at home. For example, he and his wife make it a point to go through their younger daughter's Chinese homework together. She is in Secondary Three.
The theme for this year's Speak Mandarin Campaign, organised by the Promote Mandarin Council, is: "Mandarin, it gets better with use".
The annual campaign welcomed a new chairman, Mr Seow Choke Meng, executive vice- president of cultural-industry promotion at Singapore Press Holdings. He replaces advertising veteran Lim Sau Hoong.
The campaign will run theme- song and short-film competitions, and also use innovative online resources to promote the use of the language.
At the event, Mr Lui - who was the former minister for Information, Communications and the Arts - urged parents to make an effort to speak Mandarin with their children at home.
"If your attitude to Chinese language, culture and history is one of fun, discovery and adventure, then your children will also see (these things) in the same light," he said.
Mr Seow certainly advocates using Mandarin with the young. He speaks to his 21/2-year-old grandson in the language, and said the child responds to him.
"As long as we use (the language) frequently and use it without fear,not only will we be able to master the language and speak good Mandarin, we will also be able to help create a conducive environment for picking it up," he said.
Mr Lui said parents could turn to tools such as iPhone apps and websites to inculcate Chinese in their kids.
They should not shun newspapers, comic books or even TV shows. "Chinese programmes on television and...on the radio... are very useful, practical ways of learning by osmosis," he said.
He revealed that, as a child, he learnt some Mandarin through the Chinese comics Lao Fu Zi. Mr Lui, 49, has since progressed to poetry by classic poets such as Wang Zhihuan (688-742) and Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072).
He added that, when it comes to picking up the language, he "firmly believes" in rote learning. "There are some things that are worth memorising...because only after that can you experience the richness and beauty of the language and allow it to percolate in your life," he said.
And while he learnt the beauty of Mandarin late in life, it is "better late than never", he said.
my paper
Tue, Jul 05, 2011
By Joy Fang
THE struggle that comes with learning Mandarin is something Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew understands all too well.
The former Anglo-Chinese School and Anglo-Chinese Junior College student admitted that his relationship with the language has not been easy.
Though he studied Chinese in school, he was never adept at it. He has also been taking Chinese lessons once a week for more than the past two years, and "it is still a weekly struggle", he said.
Mr Lui was speaking yesterday at the launch of the 32nd Speak Mandarin Campaign at the Asian Civilisation Museum.
He told my paper that he regrets not speaking Mandarin actively with his two daughters earlier in their lives. "If I were to start all over again, I would probably use more Mandarin at home," he said.
Still, Mr Lui, who is also the Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, tries to set a good example at home. For example, he and his wife make it a point to go through their younger daughter's Chinese homework together. She is in Secondary Three.
The theme for this year's Speak Mandarin Campaign, organised by the Promote Mandarin Council, is: "Mandarin, it gets better with use".
The annual campaign welcomed a new chairman, Mr Seow Choke Meng, executive vice- president of cultural-industry promotion at Singapore Press Holdings. He replaces advertising veteran Lim Sau Hoong.
The campaign will run theme- song and short-film competitions, and also use innovative online resources to promote the use of the language.
At the event, Mr Lui - who was the former minister for Information, Communications and the Arts - urged parents to make an effort to speak Mandarin with their children at home.
"If your attitude to Chinese language, culture and history is one of fun, discovery and adventure, then your children will also see (these things) in the same light," he said.
Mr Seow certainly advocates using Mandarin with the young. He speaks to his 21/2-year-old grandson in the language, and said the child responds to him.
"As long as we use (the language) frequently and use it without fear,not only will we be able to master the language and speak good Mandarin, we will also be able to help create a conducive environment for picking it up," he said.
Mr Lui said parents could turn to tools such as iPhone apps and websites to inculcate Chinese in their kids.
They should not shun newspapers, comic books or even TV shows. "Chinese programmes on television and...on the radio... are very useful, practical ways of learning by osmosis," he said.
He revealed that, as a child, he learnt some Mandarin through the Chinese comics Lao Fu Zi. Mr Lui, 49, has since progressed to poetry by classic poets such as Wang Zhihuan (688-742) and Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072).
He added that, when it comes to picking up the language, he "firmly believes" in rote learning. "There are some things that are worth memorising...because only after that can you experience the richness and beauty of the language and allow it to percolate in your life," he said.
And while he learnt the beauty of Mandarin late in life, it is "better late than never", he said.
